It's the way I normally like to do it.

What I mean is, if you see a film of a book before reading the book, you don't sit there shouting at the screen.

For example, I saw "Trainspotting" before reading the book. I enjoyed the film imensly and read the book after. I also thought the book was great as well but if I had read it first I would have watched the film and been going "Hang on! what about the scene in the pub leading up to this? And he never said that! and where is that character and why is so and so not in it!"

Without reading the book I just enjoyed the film for what it was, and on reading the book I got to see that it would have been a harder task to film it as it was written, and maybe a bit too long. So I got the maximum pleasure from both.

But sometimes this does not work.

For example, I am now reading "Frankenstein" By Mary Shelly. Never read it before but of course I have seen loads of films of the book and so on.

I always thought the creature was created in a thunderstorm amid much drama and sparking lab equipment, and there was an "igor" running about doing the old "Yeth massssthcer!" stuff.

But no.

In fact it goes thusly:

"It was already one in the morning; the rain pattered dismally against the panes, and my candle was nearly burnt out, when, by the glimmer of the half- extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open"

And the creature, although horrible to the sight of poor vicy baby, has a full head of dark hair and is apparently quite good looking. Not bolts through the neck, no "flat top" head do, no big clumpy boots....

Curse you Hollywood!

And curse my tardiness in getting round to reading the book. I could have sat at home screaming "That's bollocks that is" at all those Frankenstien movies on the tv.......

Mind you, I did enjoy all that windmill burning and angry villagers malarky in the film......

On xmas day, Sarah got a "Fur Real" cat toy thing. It purrs and makes very realistic "pawing" motions with its front feet when you feed it or stroke it.

So when at S&F's, I borrowed it from sarah and put it down on the floor in front of Cleopatra (or shipscat 2 as she is also known) and started it off purring and pawing.

The look of utter fear and disgust on cleos face was a picture (which I missed due to not having the camera to hand) and she shot off out to the kitchen at high speed.

She has forgiven me though, she came and made a big purring fuss of me this morning as I lay in bed.

She can't stay mad at me for too long, I am too good a source of heat.

Over Christmas I mean.

Well OK, we watched Dr Who and it was good, but the rest of it!

What utter bollocks. So We didn't bother. We did other things instead and had a good time.

Well OK, yes I did make Mr S put "The Great Escape" on but it would not be xmas if you didn't sit in a near coma in front of a film and gas the fellow couch sitters and have things thrown at you or get slapped around a bit for being a vile and smelly git.

Its all that turkey and gooses fault, oh and the sprouts.

Last year I had it easy. Not only did I get to write about someone whose blog I read regularly, but I had also met them in the real world. At the time I thought it was difficult but this year I can see how easy I had it.

This year I drew someone who I have never read before (I know, we are all supposed to read everyones blogs even if we don’t have them on our friends list – its in the rules, ahem) and so I have had to have a quick squint up and down their blog.

Someblokes blog is like mine and many others on here in a way. He writes about what is going on in his life, his concerns and interests. He is a tad older than me, and his blog is a lot less prone to smut and swearing than mine is. Which is not that surprising really.

He has been married for 36 years! THIRTY-SIX BLOODY YEARS! I couldn’t even manage 13!

And he likes gardening. Which is where we differ as I think the best thing to do in a garden is sunbathe or play swing ball with Sarah.

But I did notice that he has been affected by a condition that has touched my life and many others on here. Blog addiction! So much so that it stopped him from gardening and doing the normal things in life that helped him knock up 36 years of marriage.

So he did the sensible thing and had a break, and tried to stop drifting away from the things and people he loves. A very sensible attitude, I hope your listening blog world!

And he was a jazz musician, so he’s all right by me.

I can change my mind can’t I?

“Shutting the blog down till next year” – Oh really. Well I meant it when I said it as I was in a bit of a funny mood. And the other posts were written when either drunk of depressed or both. Funny time of year eh?

And now here I is, sat at “work” and with a pc in front of me that actually does let me see emails (unlike the one at S&F’s) and see more than one page of blogs (unlike the one at home) so I can catch up on stuff.

Still have to do my secret Santa post or face the wrath of lyndz.

Also have to figure out how to get home due to Liverpool street station being closed.

And of course have to keep myself amused so I will probably be chucking out loads of rubbish today for no one to read, as you are all most likely at home peaking at the TV over the tops of your distended bellys.

Gym membership anyone?